All Posts by Himanshu Sheth

“Life management begins with mind management. The quality of your life is influenced by the quality of your thoughts. Your thoughts do form your world. Scarce thoughts create a life of scarcity. Thoughts of abundance lead to abundant circumstances.”

Recently,while Googling on the internet,I came across one more search engine called “Doojo”.From the first look , it seems it is a Google venture.

Now the question is “Why would Google use its brand name to create another search engine?”.But it is just an ordinary web page using Google custom search engine.

Also,there is an interactive search engine ChaCha (which I came across while listening to CNBC Podcast on CEO Call and it is a genuine venture) which is in the Beta stage(but seems it would give a stiff competition to Google)

The worry is with so many search engines in the block(both Indian and Non-Indian) , it is difficult to identify which is genuine and which is not!!!

This is a good article from Businessweek.Are Entrepreneurs born with such risk taking qualities or is it the ego in them that create them.

Is an entrepreneur different from the rest of the population or is he/she trying to be different?And does every entrepreneur be successful?

Some interesting facts from the article are given below:

1.Q: The accepted understanding has been that entrepreneurs have agreater tolerance for risk than the rest of the population, and yet your study found the opposite to be true. How so?A: While conventional wisdom assumes entrepreneurs have great risk tolerance compared to the rest of us, in controlled experiments that tracked attitudes to risk, we consistently found that they aren’t really that different. In some cases, the entrepreneurs are even more risk averse [than the norm], and yet they continue to bear risk.

2.“Entrepreneurs, like everybody else, hate uncontrollable risks, but on the other hand, they’re overconfident in their own abilities — they think they can control their abilities in a random drawing of people. It’s like the Lake Wobegon effect in assessing their position among peers. They think they’re above the average.”

3.Entrepreneurs appear to be risk seeking with respect to their ability.For example, if there are two industries and one has a high cost of ability uncertainty and the other has a low cost of ability uncertainty, the entrepreneur will choose the first case because of his overconfidence.Even though the second industry has the same mean value, he would be considered just average [there]. While in the first, he thinks he can be Bill Gates. It’s that overconfidence in their ability that encourages them to be entrepreneurs.

LG Electronics Inc. replaced on Monday,18th December 2006 , its chief executive and other senior officials in a management reshuffle that analysts say is aimed at bringing in momentum to its stalled handset and display businesses.

The moves come as LG reported disappointing handset sales this year and struggles with falling flat-panel prices. Analysts are worried that fourth-quarter earnings could worsen from the third due to weak panel prices and the stronger won currency.

Nam Yong, former vice chairman of LG Corp. and CEO of LG Telecom Co. Ltd., will become LG Electronics’ new CEO and vice chairman, the company said in a statement.

Nam replaces Kim Ssang-su, who had headed the country’s top home appliance maker since 2003.LG Electronics also promoted James Jeong, former head of corporate finance at the company, to replace chief financial officer Kwon Young-soo.

It also appointed Skott Ahn and Simon Kang as the new heads of its mobile communications and display businesses, respectively.

Media reports said on Monday Kwon was set to take the chief executive role at LG Electronics’ loss-making flat-screen venture, LG.Philips LCD Co. Ltd. LG.Philips could not confirm the reports.

“It appears the selection of Nam, former LG Telecom CEO, reflects pressure from the market to improve LG’s handset business,” said Kevin Lee, an analyst at Woori Securities.LG was the world’s fourth-biggest handset maker in 2005 but slid to the No. 5 spot in the third quarter, hit by fierce competition for price and design with Nokia and Motorola Inc.

It was the largest plasma display panel (PDP) maker in the third quarter, overtaking 2005’s No.1 Samsung SDI Co., but is facing dropping panel prices and tough competition from liquid crystal display (LCD) technology.

Hutch and Research In Motion (RIM) have announced the availability of BlackBerry for Hutch’s mobile customers in India. Hutch’s corporate customers will now be able to enjoy the BlackBerry solution that supports wireless access to email, phone, text messaging, browser, organizer and other mobile data applications.

Harit Nagpal, director marketing, Hutchison Essar said, “BlackBerry is a unique and powerful tool that provides seamless connectivity for our customers, even while they are traveling. We are delighted to be able to offer this brilliant service to our customers.”

Designed for corporate customers, BlackBerry Enterprise Server integrates with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise and works with existing enterprise systems to enable secure, push-based wireless access to email and other corporate data. Hutch also brings to its corporate customers the BlackBerry Mobile Data System (MDS) that provides a complete and optimized framework for creating, deploying and managing wireless applications for BlackBerry handsets.

Norm Lo, vice president of Asia Pacific at Research In Motion said, “Hutch is a strategic partner for RIM and we’re pleased to be working together to expand the reach of BlackBerry in India. Hutch’s strong presence in the enterprise market will help us reach and serve more mobile professionals, allowing them to enjoy enhanced communications, collaboration and productivity.”

In addition to BlackBerry Enterprise Server, Hutch also offers BlackBerry Internet Service for individuals and smaller businesses. This service allows users to access up to ten corporate and personal email accounts (including Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and most popular ISP email accounts) from a single device.

BlackBerry handsets immediately available on the Hutch network include the BlackBerry 7130g, BlackBerry 8700g, and BlackBerry 7290. Hutch will also soon launch the new BlackBerry Pearl.

While in Mumbai,I used to work for a company that used to make softwares for the TV game shows.I had a chance to work with Siddharth Basu , led Synergy Communications.On thing which I should say about Mr Basu is he is not only a great quiz master but also a great director.He is a very punctual and a hard working person.But as we know,a great company cannot be built on the shoulders of a single person.Yes,he has a great team in Mumbai as well as in New Delhi.

Below,I am with Mr Basu at Studio#7 in Film City,Mumbai(this is around 3.8 years back…but a great memory).This is during the shoot of Kamzor Kadi Kaun(the Indian adaptation of “The weakest link”).The team of Synergy Communications,Mumbai.Along with Mr Basu,there is Karun Prabhakaran(Head of Productions for Synergy Communications),3rd from left.

Due to this small stint of around 1.5 years in Fim City,Mumbai got my interest in this liv field of Game shows and also in movies.Let me see if this dream comes true for me!!!

A good article on Motivation in employees and how the body language and attitude matters at the workplace.

An employee has a winning attitude when he considers himself to be an ambassador of the company that he works with. This means that at all times, whether in a professional or social setting, his conduct must be impeccable, his behaviour must reflect well on the company. For instance, I expect everyone who works at Kinetic to be polite, dignified, professional and intelligent. He should also be well-informed about the company and its initiatives.

Even if the employee’s particular job profile may be restricted to a certain responsibility, he should have sufficient knowledge about the products in detail, company plans and what the current buzz is about us in the market; as well as about the industry and our competitors. It’s also important to be intelligent so that others can hold well-informed discussions about the company with him. This ‘ambassador’ attitude portrays loyalty and a genuine interest in work. It also creates a positive impression.

An ideal employee should also always seek growth and knowledge. He should be motivated enough to seize initiatives and be committed to striking a good deal for the company. Any employer will appreciate an employee who is committed to preserve and forward the well-being of the organization.

Arun Firodia, Chairman, Kinetic Group

The right attitude is a winning combination of taking initiatives, being passionate about one’s work, being innovative and analytical as well as creative. An employee should also have a strong set of values, should be able to respect team members, dare to dream and have the persistence to execute projects and meet challenging situations. I remember, once there was a fire in our office and employees risked their lives to rescue their work.

And during the recent Mumbai floods, our research centre was badly hit. The water had breached the wall and was steadily rising in each lab. However, our employees worked together to put their equipment – which was on the floor – on high tables and switched off all the wiring to avoid short circuits.

Everyone shared the limited food available. Everyone tried to keep the children in our office creche as happy as possible. They slept on the floor and boosted each other’s morale. This positive attitude, team work and the ability to fight tough circumstances are what we really value at the Piramal group.

The way an employee behaves with others is a reflection of his attitude. He should be cordial and polite to everyone – right from the peon to the top bosses.

Prakash Chauhan, Executive Chairman, Parle Agro Pvt Ltd

The winning attitude can be summed up in one word – tenacity. It is this ability to consistently persevere that’s a defining quality in a good worker. This is what separates a winner from others.

Suketu V Shah, President & director, Mukand Ltd

Winning is determined many times by one’s attitude in a business environment. An employee may have limited ability, but with the right mental attitude, he can still produce excellent results and contribute in the company’s overall growth.

On the other hand, one may have talent in abundance, but if the right mental attitude is missing, it will never allow him to reach his ultimate potential. Attitude is what separates excellence from mediocrity. I also believe that personal integrity is crucial and an employee should tell nothing but the truth.

For me, an employee’s secret of success is passion. Thinking big can ensure that he emerges a winner in his chosen field.